The Reich Citizenship Law: First Regulation
(November 14, 1935)
The Reich Citizenship Law, passed in September 1935, was followed by a series of supplementary regulations that tried to fix the major outstanding problem of defining a 'Jew.’ Nazi Party leaders had pressed for the application of legislation to all half-Jews but the Nuremberg Laws failed to provide a clear answer after Hitler struck out the term 'full Jews’ as it involved creating a new classification.
In November 1935, Dr. Bernhard Losener, a high official in the Reich Ministry of the Interior who had assisted in the drafting of the Nuremberg Laws, produced a memorandum that discussed the position of half-Jews and proposed the inclusion of half-Jews who were married to a Jewish person and who adhered to the Jewish religion. Losener’s suggestions were included in the first regulation under the Citizenship Law.
Article 1
1. Until further regulations regarding citizenship papers are
issued, all subjects of German or kindred blood, who possessed the
right to vote in the Reichstag elections at the time the Citizenship Law came into effect, shall for the time being possess
the rights of Reich citizens. The same shall be true of those to
whom the Reich Minister of the Interior, in conjunction with the
Deputy of the Fuhrer, has given preliminary citizenship.
2. The Reich Minister of the Interior, in conjunction with the
Deputy of the Fuhrer, can withdraw the preliminary citizenship.
Article 2
1 The regulations in Article 1 are also valid for Reich subjects
of mixed Jewish blood.
2 An individual of mixed Jewish blood is one who is descended from
one or two grandparents who were racially full Jews, in so far as
he or she does not count as a Jew according to Article 5,
paragraph 2 One grandparent shall be considered as full-blooded if
he or she belonged to the Jewish religious community.
Article 3
Only the Reich citizen, as bearer of full political rights,
exercises the right to vote in political affairs or can hold
public office. The Reich Minister of the Interior, or any agency
empowered by him, can make exceptions during the transition
period, with regard to occupation of public office. The affairs
of religious organizations will not be affected.
Article 4
1. A Jew cannot be a citizen of the Reich. He has no right to
vote in political affairs and he cannot occupy public office.
2. Jewish officials will retire as of December 31, 1935. If these
officials served at the front in the world war, either for Germany
or her allies, they will receive in full, until they reach the age
limit, the pension to which they were entitled according to the
salary they last received; they will, however, not advance in
seniority. After reaching the age limit, their pensions will be
calculated anew, according to the salary last received, on the
basis of which their pension was computed.
3. The affairs of religious organizations will not be affected.
4. The conditions of service of teachers in Jewish public schools
remain unchanged until new regulations for the Jewish school
systems are issued.
Article 5
1. A Jew is anyone who is descended from at least three
grandparents who are racially full Jews. Article 2, para. 2,
second sentence will apply.
2. A Jew is also one who is descended from two full Jewish
parents, if (a) he belonged to the Jewish religious community at
the time this law was issued, or joined the community later, (b)
he was married to a Jewish person, at the time the law was issued,
or married one subsequently, (c) he is the offspring of a marriage
with a Jew, in the sense of Section I, which was contracted after
the Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor became effective, (d) he is the offspring of an extramarital
relationship with a Jew, according to Section I, and will be born
out of wedlock after July 31, 1936.
Article 6
1. Requirements for the pureness of blood as laid down in Reich
Law or in orders of the NSDAP and its echelons--not covered in
Article 5—will not be affected.
2. Any other requirements for the pureness of blood, not covered
in Article 5, can be made only by permission of the Reich Minister
of the Interior and the Deputy Fuhrer. If any such demands have
been made, they will be void as of January 1, 1936, if they have
not been requested by the Reich Minister of the Interior in
agreement with the Deputy Fuhrer. These requests must be made by
the Reich Minister of the Interior.
Article 7
The Fuhrer and Reich Chancellor can grant exemptions from the
regulations laid down in the law.
Sources: Noakes,
Jeremy, and Geoffrey Pridham. Documents on Nazism 1919-1945.
NY: Viking Press, 1974, pp. 463-467, and The
Nizkor Project
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